Since the release of the iPad in Australia this month, things are changing. The iPad is basically a computer without a keyboard and this sort of thing has been a long time coming. Apple is the new market leader amidst a whole range of tablet computers and portable readers. The computer is truly leaving the home office and nuzzling up to us on the couch – right between our cup of coffee and widescreen Plasma (3DTV anyone? Nahhh.) So how does this affect the social media landscape? Or does it? And what the hell is social media really? Why should I care about what my friends are eating for lunch?
The Social Media Demographic is changing. In 2008 the kids (teens) thought Twitter uncool, but they are are now part of a steadily rising demographic. Key users are of working age as these social tools are increasingly being used to attract new clients and work. I’m 42, and because in the business of making websites, I should know.
How I Use Social Media
The following is how I use the various Social Network Tools available today and how I might use them if I could afford an iPad. Click the social media title to see my social media page/s and how I use the software (because that’s what it is people – software).
- text-chatting to friends in front of the TV
- sharing photos with friends and family
- sharing links
- keeping in contact with overseas family
- keeping in contact with people you normally wouldn’t catchup with (like ex-girlfriends etc.). Indeed keeping in contact with everyone you’ve ever met!
- keeping friends updated on what you’re doing (status report)
- letting friends know what my latest website looks like
- letting friends or family know what l look like (as I age)
- gentle business promotion?
(As a general rule, it’s probably best to keep anything that resembles advertising to 1 in 10 posts. Facebook is mostly a social catch-up arena.)
- Like the Facebook update status I can let my friends know what I’m eating for lunch ;p
- advertise a website special for the moment to 1000 people at once.
- follow topics of interest
- quickly send out a link to something of interest to a group of people
- follow a group chat about a particular topic by inserting a #hashtag into my 140 word post
- follow musicians realeasing free albums
- follow deals on specialist equipment
- follow deals on short courses / education freebies
Delicious
- I’m so tired of losing my links with different browsers and bookmarks, that now I keep them all in one spot … online. It takes a little longer to post a link of interest, but it’s worth the convenience when you work on several computers. If you click on the word delicious above – you can see all my saved bookmarks. I don’t care that they are available publicly. And that’s part of the social network issue . . . Privacy!
Tumblr
- basically an online scrapbook
- sound
- image
- movie snippets
- blog thoughts.
- half-baked ideas or noodles of mild interest I post here
- comments on things I see and like
Digg
- They email me daily with what’s popular on the web
- I often tweet it to my Twitter followers
- basically a run down of the most popular thing on the web
(younger Gen-Y audience – not business oriented)
Linked In
- my Business CV online
- associates can post job references.
- my work history and CV for all to see
- people “re-connect” with associates they may have worked with in the past
- 35-45 working age group
Flickr
- Hosts photos that you can share with friends / family / work colleagues
I use this to show location stills to cast / crew for films
MySpace
- Musician / Filmmaker hub (mostly for musos)
Bands were once “discovered” here but those days (2007) are probably behind us. Youtube is more likely to show off your tap-dancing these days plus bands are increasingly cutting out the middle man by turning to self-distribution models using websites like Bandcamp. Even I have an EP on Bandcamp – The Mary Street Abduction.
RSS
- Really Simple Syndication. Clicking this link usually adds a website’s content to your reader. Or e-reader! Joining an RSS feed will have stuff (like this article) emailed to your inbox (if you like this Blog, join us here). This technology has yet to stretch its wings I feel. Readers are heading over to the couch right now. The electronic book may herald the boom of a new Blog reader. Blogs are so popular because they give search engines so much to find. Because of it, businesses also try to run blogs (like this one). You can get a basic e-reader for as little as $200 these days and some of them (the slightly more expensive ones) connect to your home wi-fi.
In Short
You can find a use for nearly all of these things. But in the world of business, people need to know that you exist. Letting them know at every turn that you are there, dilligently performaing a task for clients, is really important to me. Most of my work comes through friends and associates recommending my work. Not joining all these avenues for someone with my tiny advertising budget would be coinsidered a misdemeanor.
After all – every single one of these things is completely free!
No daily news feed from Slash Dot?
Thanks for the interesting post. When we so often hear how Gen Y rule the web I was surprised to see the Av. age at 35-44 age group as the highest in the distribution across the social network sites graph. But from a etworking, career and business point of view it makes sense.
I think also that they are the ones trying to break the monotony of sitting on their butts working on a bloody computer!
Terrific info Edwin.
I think this is a likely winner for today and I wish you well.
Have you thought of using this outline to get work at UWA Extension as a one day course in this area?
I think they wold love it!
Cheers
JB
Thanks John, I might look into that. It was a great talk and the people were fantastic. I have to wait 8 years before I can join though :)